Follow along with me in my New York Fashion Week Diary! From brunch in Chelsea, to the piers and on the runway. It was a full and fun day in the city.
Hello there, dreamers! NYFW has come to a close and before I get into more collection reviews from the runway – I wanted to share with you a bit of a New York fashion week diary. A couple weeks back, I took to Twitter and posted a poll to gauge what everyone was most interested in…and a diary style post about my experience won in a landslide.
And so here we are, talking about my fashion week experience. Short as it may have been! While I missed most of fashion week this season, I did manage to get in a FULL day on Tuesday…and by golly I have the blisters on my feet to prove it. (But I’ll spare you that graphic image. #Ouch)
Fashion Week Diary
Arriving for a busy day in the city, I was delighted by how stunning the weather was. A perfect eight degrees and sunshine greeted me and I started to lose myself wandering the crowds near Madison Square Garden – because you just know the people watching in New York City is top notch. I dare say I could mingle and mix with strangers in NYC all day long. If you are interested in coming out to New York City, and seeing what this place holds for you, you could always stay one of New York’s many wonderful hotels like the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan, so you can experience this beautiful city in style and luxury.
First Up? Brunch at Citizens of Chelsea
The morning started off by checking an item off my bucket list: brunch at Citizens of Chelsea. I discovered them on Instagram and after perusing the menu knew I needed to make a stop. I trekked there and had a good browse of their menu before deciding on the beet and hummus toast, which was positively delicious. Their menu is very fresh and I of course was thrilled to be greeted with a selection of vegan options. If you’re not a vegan, there’s a waffle on the menu that looks to die for…but, I resisted. Naturally.
Absolutely loved Citizens of Chelsea. The staff were uber friendly and the decor was charming. Tables were lined with potted succulent plants and my coffee in the most charming of cups. I highly recommend making a stop next time you’re in the area. And I will definitely be going back!
After fueling up, I had a quick break before shows began and sat by One Penn Plaza to catch up on mass emails and enjoy a few quiet moments before the craziness set in. I always happen to get in interesting conversations while I’m there and got talking to the nicest gentleman who travels with the models as a dialect coach.
How interesting! He spotted my Midwest Cincinnati accent immediately and we had a nice chat about Balenciaga v. Givenchy, Dior v. Chanel and whether or not Raf Simons has found his rightful home at Calvin Klein. It’s so rare you can have these types of conversations with a heterosexual male so I thought it was worth mentioning. He was a really interesting guy and I’m glad we met.
We sat talking beneath these gorgeous American flags – which I snapped a photo of because amidst everything happening in this country right now, it is nice to remember we’re all Americans.
Onto Shows I Go!!
First runway show I went to was Maj Designs. The show was in a very spacious and light studio and had a throbbing soundtrack to Halsey. I’m always down for some Halsey so that made me excited, except then it took on a weird remix vibe and since one of the speakers sounded blown kind of got annoying. See? Not everything is peachy keen on the runway.
The collection though was gorgeous, as was the makeup.
Onto Pier 59 Studios
After Maj Designs, I had to skedaddle my way to one of my favorite venues: Pier 59 Studios for the Miguel Vieira show. I got there early enough to enjoy the sundeck, which was fantastic because I knew I simply wouldn’t have time after as I had to race to another show.
Overlooking a beautiful marina, it’s a tranquil hideaway from all the fashion week madness. Charming waiters were serving chilled Rose and Prosecco for guests and models – but I gravitated toward my standard favorite, vodka. On the sundeck I also got to meet a few other fashion bloggers that I’ve enjoyed following through the years. It’s always great to meet people first-hand so they’re not just a face on the internet. People are actually people, you know? *wink*
After the Miguel Vieira show, I had to make a mad dash to catch my Via to take me to the Whitney Museum of Art where Calvin Luo was presenting his Spring 2018 collections. I’d never been to the Whitney before so I was very excited to get to see a show there.
Thanks to my amazing driver who navigated not heavy rush hour traffic and fashion bloggers who were putting their lives in danger for the perfect outfit shot in the middle of the road – I managed to make to the show at the Whitney just in time.
Chilling in the Meatpacking District
Following Calvin Luo, I took advantage of the nearby Sweetgreen to pick up a warm mushroom and tofu bowl that I enjoyed in a peaceful courtyard with the most beautiful fountain! New York is such an exciting city, because as you turn every corner you never know what you’re going to find and I always manage to stumble right into the most scenic of places.
Of course, I would be lying if I told you the city didn’t have its dirty spots too because yes, of course those exist. About a block away from my photogenic courtyard dinner the streets were lined with garbage. Such is life in NYC!
Onto The Blonds
It was getting quite dark at this point and I hiked my way over to The Blonds at Skylight Clarkson Studios. Last year when I tried to attend The Blonds runway show, there was a big mix up with the invitation list. Many were turned away and by the time I was given my wristband and allowed to enter — the show was starting and a cross PR lady sent me off to the after party.
Determined for that fiasco not to repeat itself, I got to The Blonds in plenty of time and mixed and mingled with other guests. The crowd watching there was fantastic! Everyone truly goes all out when it comes to their look for the show. Next thing you know, in walks Pamella Roland who I adore and was disappointed to have to miss her show last week — so I was thrilled to have the chance to breifly say hello before being ushered to my seat.
The show itself was extremely dark so I struggled to get great pictures – but the collection had a moody burlesque vibe that was a lot of fun. It was also the most theatrical of the shows I’ve seen and it felt great to check my goal to see a The Blonds show in person off my bucket list. Done and done!
After the Show is the After Party?
Ironically, while last year I went to The Blonds’ after party and not the show — this year I went to the show, but not the after party. After several days with little to no sleep, all I wanted to do was jump on the train back to my sister’s and crawl into bed.
The train journey was interesting in itself as the most drunk girl sat next to me and ended up passing out on my shoulder. She was all alone and unable to locate her tickets or anything, so in the end I’m glad I was there to help her safely get where she needed to do before slipping away to bed myself.
What a fun day it was though and over the coming days, I’m excited to explore the city even more. Now that Fashion Week has come to a close, I’m ready to be a ‘tourist’ and enjoy sight-seeing all around. I’m hoping to make it to the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx and hit Screamers in Brooklyn, because their vegan pizza looks insane and I think I really need that in my life. (I mean, who doesn’t need pizza in their life??) If there are any spots you think I’d enjoy, lemme know.
In case you missed it, I also shared my Fashion Week-approved beauty products this week! My beauty bag is filled with outstanding skincare and concealer to help get me through. Read that post, here.
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XOXO
Kelly
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